Dear Reader,

These past two months have brought a great deal of activity and change: US tariffs and the resulting concerns over trade diversion; the EU’s 17th package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus; the EU–UK Summit and the UK–US Economic Prosperity Agreement; Ukraine rapidly aligning its customs rules with those of the EU - and much more besides.

In 2013, at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite remarked: "It is said that challenges might be far greater than us, but how we deal with them is what defines us." Many of us today feel we are grappling with exactly such challenges - ones that appear far beyond our control. Let us not focus on the scale of the challenges themselves - which can be overwhelming - but rather on how best to address them. In doing so, we can draw strength from Ukraine, and indeed from Europe’s own past.

It is the past of Europe that we especially recall in May. This year marked several significant anniversaries: 75 years since the Schuman Declaration, 80 years since the end of the Second World War, and once again, eyes turned to Aachen, where the Charlemagne Prize is awarded for contributions to European unity.

This year, the prize was awarded to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In her acceptance speech, she highlighted the EU’s strategic priorities for the coming years: security and peace, innovation, enlargement to include countries such as Ukraine, and the renewal of European democracy. A look at current EU customs and trade developments - summarised in our EU customs and trade news section - reveals how these priorities are already being translated into action.

In this issue, you will find articles on technology, export control, CBAM, US tariffs, e-commerce, education and more - each offering knowledge and insight to help you respond to today’s challenges.

Thank you to all the experts who generously share their expertise from many different countries around the world: Italy, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Ukraine, the UK, the US, and Lithuania.

I hope you find the issue both informative and thought-provoking.

Enrika Naujoke
Member of the Editorial Board

EU customs and trade news: April 2025